February 29, 2016                                               HIAP e-Newsletter 
After a week off, both Senate and House are back in session. This week, all of the activity in the House on the bills we track consists of committee work sessions and executive sessions. The latter is when a decision is made in committee on how the bill will be presented to the full House for a floor vote. At this point, the public hearings on these pieces of legislation have been completed. The public can attend work and executive sessions but only committee members can speak. Activists often attend them to hear the discussion and get a reading on what positions various legislators will be bringing to their colleagues. Sometimes, based on what has happened in committee, we will send out alerts for our members to call their own legislators before the floor vote. Right now, the most important work and executive sessions for us to follow are happening in the Finance Committee about  HB1696, the reauthorization of Medicaid expansion (see Marie Mulroy's article below).
 
The Senate, meanwhile, has a hearing on Wednesday, March 2nd on an important bill: SB311 relative to standards for radon in water. At first reading the bill seems innocuous, even something we could support. It authorizes the Department of Environmental Services to "offer a health advisory or other educational material related to radon in the water, provided the material used by the department shall only utilize the standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act". We are all in favor of educational material, right? However, that "shall only utilize" language would preclude dissemination of very useful information from DES.  We are now aware that controversies at the federal level have kept the Environmental Protection Agency from publishing any radon standard in the Safe Drinking Water Act. Thus this bill would effectively gag DES, not allowing it to publish science-based information about the effects of radon in water, which is released into air during showering or humidification and contributes to the incidence of lung and other cancers. Radon is definitely an important health issue in NH so our Policy Committee Co-Chair, Jay Smith, will testify for NHPHA at the Senate hearing this week.
 
Other Senate activity includes voting on Thursday, March 3rd on pieces of legislation important to NHPHA and to public health. We have discussed SB320 on non-academic surveys in schools in a previous issue. This has been amended to allow the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and will come to the Senate with an "Ought to Pass" recommendation from the committee, but only by a 3 to 2 vote. NHPHA made the decision to oppose the bill, believing it is bad policy to prevent other kinds of important research surveys to be administered in schools. State law already requires advance notice to parents when a survey is planned with the option for the parent to notify the school not to give the survey to their child. We believe this provides the needed parental oversight and does not need to be strengthened. NHPHA submitted an OpEd on SB320 to area newspapers this week.
 
The Senate will also vote on the committee recommendation to send SB395 to Interim Study. This bill would have required landlords to provide air conditioning to tenants with respiratory problems. NHPHA supported the passage of this bill but that looks unlikely at this point. And the Senate will vote on SB422 which the committee recommends be killed. NHPHA supported this bill because it adds language to RSA126-K:15, Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program to include e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine in the definition of tobacco.

The Policy Committee continues to spend many hours advocating on behalf of our members and the health of our communities. We welcome your input and participation.
 
This Week at the State House 

Access to Quality Health Care

Bill
Title
Status
NHPHA Position
Limiting Pregnancy Terminations to Pregnancies Of 20 Weeks or Less.
House House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Oppose
Priority #2
Requiring Licensure of Outpatient Abortion ClinicsHouse House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Oppose
Priority #2
Repealing The Law Governing Access to Reproductive Health Care Facilities.
House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Oppose
Priority #2
Prohibiting An Abortion Based On Genetic Abnormalities.
House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Oppose
Priority #2
Relative to Banning Abortion After Viability.

House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Oppose
Priority #2
Prohibiting Abortions Once An Unborn Child Can Feel Pain.

House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Oppose
Priority #2
Prohibiting Buying, Selling, and Experimenting On Unborn Infants or Bodily Remains Resulting From Abortion.
House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Monitor
Priority #2
Prohibiting The Use Of Public Funds, Employees, and Facilities In Assisting or Performing Abortions.
House Judiciary:
Executive Session
03/01/2016  10:00 AM
LOB 208
Monitor
Priority #2
Requesting A Modification Of The New Hampshire Health Protection ProgramHouse Finance:
Full Committee Work Session: 03/02/2016 10:00 Am Lob 210-211
Support
Priority #1
Relative to A Special Health Carer Service License.Senate Vote:
Committee Report
Ought to Pass with Amendment #2016-0596s
Nt, 03/03/2016
Monitor
Priority #2


Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs 

Bill
Title
Status
NHPHA Position
Relative to The Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation ProgramSenate vote:
Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate, 03/03/2016
Support
Priority #2


Child Health and Safety

Bill
Title
Status
NHPHA Position
Requiring The Collection Of Data Relative to Firearm Related Deaths and Injuries.
House Executive Departments and Administration/H; Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Executive Session: 03/01/2016 10:00 AM
LOB 204
Support
Priority #2
To Implement A System Of Care For Children's Behavioral Health.
Senate Health and Human Services:
Committee Report:
Ought to Pass,
03/03/2016
Support
Priority #2


Public Health Infrastructure

Bill
Title
Status
NHPHA Position
Relative to Standards For Radon In Water.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Hearing: 03/02/2016, Room 100, Sh, 9:00 AM
Oppose
Priority #2
SB 320Relative to Non-academic Surveys Administered By A Public School to Its Students.
Senate Vote
Ought to Pass with Amendment #2016-0551s, 03/03/2016
Oppose
Priority #1


Ensuring Health Equity and Social Justice

Bill
Title
Status
NHPHA Position
Relative to Minimum Housing Standards For Tenants with Health or Respiratory Issues.
Senate vote:
Committee Report: Referred to Interim Study, 03/03/2016; Vote 5-0; Cc

Support
Priority #1



Updates on the NH Health Protection Program (Medicaid Expansion)
By Marie Mulroy

HB1696 Expanding the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan - February 29, 2016

This week marks another important milestone for the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan (Medicaid Expansion) as it makes its way through the House Finance Committee before heading over to the Floor of the House of Representatives on March 9th for a full vote.   After the public hearing on Feb. 17th, the Finance Committee now begins its deliberation to determine what is needed from New Hampshire in terms of dollar contributions and whether New Hampshire's current plan for funding the state's portion of Medicaid Expansion makes sense.  They also want to determine how the hospitals and insurers, who have agreed to pick up the cost of the Expansion, intend to pay for it.   This week, the bill has the following committee work in the Finance Committee:
  • Full Committee work - Tuesday, March 1st and Wednesday, March 2nd at 10 AM
  • Finance Executive Committee and Vote - Thursday, March 3rd at 10 AM
What You Can Do
 
NHPHA wants to thank you for all your work and ask that those who can continue to work over next two week as the final push for passage of HB 1696 takes place in the NH House of Representatives.   Here are two things you can do: 
  • Please see if you can join us in Concord beginning at 8:30 a.m. on either March 3rd or March 9th as the votes are taking place.    We expect lawmakers to amend the bill during the floor debate on March 9, which means we will need people to join us throughout the day, until debate closes. Some lawmakers will attempt to correct problems in the bill through supportive amendments. Others may try to weaken the bill or defeat it. We need to demonstrate support and urge supporters to hold firm.
  • NHPHA has learned that your calls are making a difference to those legislators who are undecided, so we are asking again that you continue to make calls to members of the Finance Committee and let them know how important Medicaid Expansion is to public health and to the health of the economy of New Hampshire.      If you do reach out could you let Deanna Bennett know at [email protected] so that we can keep tract.     
HB1696 is on the home stretch in the House and your help is instrumental as we work together to gain passage of this bill.    If successful, we can all take pride in knowing that we had a part to play in making sure that it is no longer acceptable to have our most vulnerable and economically challenged adult citizens be without health care coverage.

Again, thank you for all your work.  

 
Upcoming Events

NHPHA Legislative Champions Luncheon
March 9, 2016 - 12pm
Upham Walker House, Concord

NH Healthy Homes Breakfast
March 16, 2016 - 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM
State House Dining Room
For more information, click here
 
Contact Us
 Your feedback is very important to us.  If you have comments, questions or    suggestions for the HIAP e-Newsletter, email us!
   Like us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter     View our profile on LinkedIn      
Copyright � 2015. All Rights Reserved.

NHPHA | 4 Park Street | Suite 403 | Concord | NH | 03301